Studio Artists
Studio Artists
Each year, four singers and a stage director receive the opportunity to apprentice by performing in various roles or directing, learning roles to act as “cover” or “understudy” performers, and learn from a close affiliation with the experienced professionals in all productions.
Each of the Studio Artists is an early career professional with significant training and stage experience. The program builds on The Atlanta Opera’s commitment to provide opportunities for performers at all stages in their careers.
Throughout the season, these artists will have the opportunity to work with established performers and coaches to improve their skills in all aspects of their field. Master Vocal Teacher Laura Brooks Rice has been part of the Studio Artist program since 2021 and is an acclaimed performer and voice teacher and acting coach whose students are currently singers at The Metropolitan Opera, Washington Opera, Sarasota Opera, and internationally at most of the world’s opera houses.
An experienced group of coaches and clinicians are engaged in the training and support of the Studio Artists. These experts include David Okerlund, Principal Guest Voice Teacher; Kevin Burdette, Principal Dramatic Clinician; Walter Huff, Principal Guest Coach; Stefano Baldasseroni, Italian Diction Coach; Marianne Barrett, German Diction Coach; and Pierre Vallet, French Diction Coach.
Significant support is provided by the Donald and Marilyn Keough Foundation, John and Yee-Wan Stevens, and Jerry and Dulcy Rosenberg.
Elio
Bucky
Elio Bucky, (stage director), is an opera stage director and projection designer. Their work celebrates plurality, truth, and innovation in the creative process. As a champion for contemporary opera, Elio regularly collaborates with performers, composers, and librettists to present new work. Most recently, they served as the dramaturg for the piano-vocal workshop of The House of Yes, a new opera by Kamala Sankaram, Michael Kelly, and Kathleen Kelly (Wolf Trap Opera). Elio studied voice & opera performance at Northwestern University and opera directing at the Butler Opera Center. They have held prestigious directing fellowships at Wolf Trap Opera and the Music Academy of the West, and trained as a singer at the Chautauqua Institution.
Aubrey
Odle
Aubrey Odle, (mezzo-soprano), is quickly gaining recognition as a burgeoning talent with her powerful voice and commanding stage presence. Returning for her second year as a Glynn Studio Artist with The Atlanta Opera, she will perform as Lady-in-Waiting in this season’s production of Macbeth, as well as covering 2nd and 3rd Lady in Die Zauberflöte. This past summer, Aubrey performed as an Apprentice Artist with The Santa Fe Opera, where she covered the role of Marilyn in the World Premiere of Gregory Spears’ The Righteous. Other credits include seasons with Des Moines Metro Opera, Lyric Opera of Kansas City, Knoxville Opera, and Utah Lyric Opera.
Wayd
Odle
Wayd Odle, (tenor), is described by Opera News as a “standout.” He is an active performer on the operatic stage. As a second year Apprentice Artist with Santa Fe Opera, he made his house debut with the company as the Marschallin’s Major-Domo in Der Rosenkavalier. Most recently, Odle was selected as a winner of the prestigious Giulio Gari Foundation receiving a career grant. Odle won Audience Choice Awards with Annapolis Opera, Opera Tampa, and Opera Mississippi. He is a winner of the John Alexander National Vocal Competition, the 2021 American Prize award, and earned accolades from The Metropolitan Opera Laffont Competition, Houston Saengerbund Awards, and the Shreveport Opera Competition. Odle is proudly from the middle of nowhere, North Platte, Nebraska. He is husband to Mezzo-Soprano Aubrey Odle and they happily have two children.
Amanda
Sheriff
Amanda Sheriff, (soprano), is in her second year as an Atlanta Opera Studio Artist. Sheriff was a Young Artist at the Glimmerglass Festival and premiered the role Calista (Rip Van Winkle). In 2022, she was awarded first prize in the Lotte Lenya Competition. During 2021, she joined Des Moines Metro Opera as an Apprentice Artist and made her debut as Miss Lightfoot (Fellow Travelers). She was also a Studio Artist at Florida Grand Opera, and performed the roles of Beatrice (Three Decembers), First Trio member (Trouble in Tahiti) and Célie (Signor Deluso). Sheriff was a Young Artist at Seagle in 2019 and performed Susanna (Le Nozze di Figaro).
Jason
Zacher
Jason Zacher, (bass-baritone), joined the esteemed Studio Artist program last season at The Atlanta Opera, performing in productions of Frankenstein, Rigoletto, La bohème, and A Midsummer Night’s Dream. He also made multiple appearances at Carnegie Hall, and returned to The Glimmerglass Festival following a successful debut with the company in 2023. He advanced to the finals of the prestigious Lotte Lenya Competition, where he received the second-place prize. He also joins South Florida Symphony to perform Pangloss/Voltaire in Candide, Worcester Chorus for Messiah, Montclair State University for Beethoven’s Symphony no. 9, and Tulsa Opera for a gala concert. Zacher holds degrees from the University of Houston and Montclair State University.
Laura Brooks Rice
MASTER TEACHER
Mezzo-soprano Laura Brooks Rice has won acclaim on the opera and concert stage for her rich, warm voice, musicality, charm and sensitive acting ability and is an interntionally recognized vocal pedagogue. From 1985-2019 Miss Rice was on faculty at Westminster Choir College in Princeton, New Jersey where she was Professor of Voice. In addition to teaching private voice, she was the creator and director of the CoOPERAtive Program for 15 years, taught courses in opera: The Singing Actor: Opera and Opera Auditions: Techniques and Preparation. Along with her teaching at Westminster, Miss Rice has a private studio of professional singers and has been a vocal consultant to the Metropolitan Opera’s Lindemann Program the Cafritz Program with the Washington Opera.
David Okerlund
Principal Guest Voice Teacher
Bass-baritone David Okerlund has performed more than 100 operas, recitals, symphonic works, and oratorios in the past 25 years throughout North America, Europe and Asia. He has received several honors for his singing, including winner of the Metropolitan Opera National Council Regional auditions, the National Opera Association Competition runner-up, semi-finalist for the Richard Tucker Competition, and semi-finalist in the International Belvedere Competition in Vienna, Austria.
Past Artists
Kameron
Lopreore
tenor
Aubrey
Odle
mezzo-soprano
Amanda
Sheriff
soprano
Nora
Winsler
stage director
Jason
Zacher
bass-baritone
Bruno
Baker
stage director
Edwin
Davis
bass
Gretchen
Krupp
mezzo-soprano
Kameron
Lopreore
tenor
Alexis
Seminario
soprano
Bruno
Baker
stage director
Susanne
Burgess
soprano
Sankara
Harouna
baritone
Gretchen
Krupp
mezzo-soprano
William
Meinert
bass
Jonathan
Bryan
bass
Ellen
Jackson
stage director
Isaac
Kim
bass-baritone
Álvaro Corral
Matute
pianist
Jouelle
Roberson
soprano
Elizabeth
Sarian
mezzo-soprano
Jonathan
Bryan
bass
Conor
Hanratty
stage director
Anna
Kozlakiewicz
soprano
Mauro
Ronca
pianist
Elizabeth
Sarian
mezzo-soprano
Justin
Stolz
tenor
Brenna
Corner
stage director
Christopher
Dunham
baritone
Bryn
Holdsworth
soprano
Gina
Perregrino
mezzo-soprano
Valerie
Pool
pianist
Justin
Stolz
tenor
Santiago
Ballerini
tenor
Brenna
Corner
stage director
Alan
Higgs
bass-baritone
Bryn
Holdsworth
soprano
Andrew
Pardini
baritone
Valerie
Pool
pianist